Inclinometer



'r. L. MAHONE July 14, 1953 INCLINOMETER IN VEN TOR.

Filed Nov. 8, I951 7homas L. Mahone Fig. 4

Patented July 14, 1953 UNITED? STATES Application November 8, 1951, Serial No. 255,477

' 1 Claim. (01. 33-206) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in instruments for airplanes and the like and the primary object of the present invention is to provide an inclinometer mountable on the dash panel of an airplane to indicate whether or not the ship is on an even keel or to what degree and to what direction it is inclined.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inclination indicator for indicating the position of an airplane with respect to the ground and the direction of traveLand which is so graduated as to permit an instant reading at all positions on the globe above and below a horizontal plane.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inclinometer capable of finding or measuring accurately two intersecting planes lying on the same plane and of different degrees.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide an'instrument of the aforementioned character that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, efiicient and durable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the de-- tails of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and. in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially onthe plane of section line 3-3 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral Ill represents a hollow transparent outer sphere that is suitably secured to upwardly inclined corner supporting arms l2 rising from a substantially square base l4 having two intersecting center lines 16 and I8 across its top and sides, indicating two distinct directions.

An inner sphere 20 is secured centrally within the sphere Ill by spacers 22 to retain the inner periphery of the sphere l spaced from the outer periphery of the sphere 20, thereby forming a chamber 24 in which a liquid 26 is placed. The

I zontal planes.

liquid fills all but a small portion of the chamber 24 to provide an air bubble 28.2

The sphere I0 is formed with an opening that is sealed after the liquidZG has been placed in the sphere Ill; The spheres l0 and 20 may be in in horizontally spaced vertical planes and the circles 32 are disposed in vertically spaced hori- Circles 34 are disposed in horizontally spaced vertical planesthat intersect the planes of the circles 30 at right angles;

The largest'circle of the circles 3!! meet the largest circle of the circles 34 at the center of the top circle of the circles 32, indicated by 36. The circles 30 are spaced equally apart and are to 0 from left to right and also from right to left starting at point 36.

The circles 34 are also provided with indicia from 0 to 180 from top to back and from top to front starting from point 36. The circles 34 are also provided withindicia from 180 to 0 from top to back and from top to front starting at point 36.

Base [4 may be readily secured to the dash panel of an airplane by fasteners or the like. The air bubble 28 will shift in response to directional or inclination changes in the airplane and such inclination may be readily determined by reading the graduations on the circles adjacent the bubble. Y

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: I

An inclination indicator for airplanes and the like comprising an outer transparent sphere having graduations on its exterior surface, an inner sphere fixed within and held stationary with respect to the outer sphere, a leveling liquid within the outer sphere about the inner sphere, said liquid and said inner sphere occupying all but a small part of the interior of said outer sphere in order to form an air bubble for registering with the graduations on said outer sphere, said outer sphere being provided with a first series of circles lying on horizontally spaced vertically disposed planes, a second series of circles also provided on said outer sphere and lying on vertically spaced horizontal planes, and a third series of circles also provided on said outer sphere and 3 4 lying on horizontally spaced vertical planes dis- References Cited in the file of this patent posed perpendicular to the planes of the first and UNITED STATES PATENTS second series of circles, the circles of each series being spaced apart 10 from each other, a sub- NumPer Name Date stantially square base underlying the outer 5 957908 R055 May 1910 sphere, corner supporting arms terminally se- 1175307 Schroeder 1916 cured to the outer sphere and the corners of the 12,74,333 Roland July 301 1918 has; {)0 support the outer splfiere ahggetthe balse, FOREIGN PATENTS sai ase aving an upper ace W1 W0 re atively perpendicular intersecting center lines 10 1 5:? gsgi g g thereon to represent two different directions.

THOMAS L. MAHONE. V V 

